Silent AMD CPU coolers

[Spud1]

Im sure this is a common question, and a search has produced some threads but there is nothing conclusive - or for my chip. So im asking the question again

Whats the quietest way to cool an AthlonXP 2800+ barton - not watercooling, something that has a heatsink and fan. I am looking at the zalman 'flower' ones and similar but they seem to be very heavy and i'm not sure about drilling holes in my mobo. Are there any that dont require this kind of drastic attatchment? (ie with a standard method of attaching to my mobo/cpu)

How do the 'silent' coolers compare to 'normal' ones?

any thoughts would be appreciated

[Stoo]

Drilling holes????

doesn't yours have the mounting holes then?

[schrickvr6]

i've had a few flowers and they all use the zif socket so i don't know what all this hole business is about.

anyway back on topic use a 120mm fan on the bracket and they will cool just about anything

[Stoo]

quite a few of the mobo's have four holes around the CPU socket for better mounting of the bigger hsf's.
you get a mounting plate and rubber pad which goes under the mobo and the hsf has tensioning screws that bolt into the back plate providing a much more secure fit.

It avoids the problem of having too much weight on the cpu socket and potentially causing damage to the mobo from the force involved from the heavy heatsinks like the Zalman and the Thermalrights.

[Spud1]

error on my part there, i thought that my mobo didnt have holes, but ive since found em (i know its stupid but i forgot the actually look under the hs :/ doh!) anyway do the zalman flowers actaully work well? are they quiet?

[Stoo]

Dunno, I've got a thermalright SLK-947U

I'm sure some of the others will know though

[Agent]

See this thread. Good CPU cooler with a 80mm fan on it, meaning its nice and quiet while shifting a decent amount

[Austin]

That one certainly seems a great cheap option. More exotic but still cheap HSF are the Volcano 11/12, very good HS and intelligent fan (Smart Fan 2) coming with 3 modes ... always full power, auto adjust to heat and finally manual control. Zalman flower (all copper) are very good and the last time I checked much like the Volcanos they do not require mounting via holes, flowers are a little heavy though.

If you want more cooling then the professional HS are the way to go, eg Thermalright AX-7/SLK800, Alpha PAL 8045/8942 and Swift MCX462+. For a fan the Smart Fan 2 is very good & it's v.nice to have the adjustability, goes nice on a Thermalright SLK-800 (great HS and easy to mount). Vantec 's Aeroflow is significantly less expensive than either of the above heatsink + fan combinations. It uses the innovative TMD (tip magnetic driven) 70mm fan from Y.S. Tech. Some of these HS req more room around the CPU so be sure to check.

[oshta]

i've got a thermalright SLK-900 with a 7v'ed 92mm Papst on it - very quite!!

- couldnt recomend its any more

- keeps my athlonxp 2600+ (non-barton) at 42C during full load

[Spud1]

cheers for the advice, i'll go for the coolermaster one then i just hope its quieter than my current one, with a had a decibel meter

[directhex]

i like my zalman, tho the default fan is noisy on full speed, a silent 120mm fan does the job admirably

[SilentDeath]

slk800 with tt smartfan, on low

[Oo_Scotty_oO]

Originally posted by |SilentDeath|
slk800 with tt smartfan, on low

Ditto

[Oo_Scotty_oO]

also an other neary silent setup would be sticking a 120mm Aluminium fan that on a zalman flower set up & 7v mod it , It will also cool ram & mosfet ect & is very quiet ,i've heard it for meself , Kustom have this on display in there shop , it also looks the dogs bollocks too